Current migration situation in the EU: Education

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1 HELPING TO MAKE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS A REALITY FOR EVERYONE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Current migration situation in the EU: Education This report assesses asylum seekers and refugees opportunities to access early childhood education and primary, secondary and tertiary education and training. It identifies measures available for their support, as well as possible areas for improvement. For some Member States, the information does not apply to the whole territory, pertaining only to select regions or localities. More specifically, this report covers the following regions/localities: Styria, Vienna (Austria); Sofia, Harmanli (Bulgaria); North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria (Germany); Madrid, Melilla (Spain); Helsinki (Finland); Île-de-France, Nouvelle Aquitaine (France); Lombardi, Emilia Romagna (Italy); Stockholm, Malmö (Sweden); Opatovska Nova Ves, Nitra (Slovakia). The information on Denmark, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland does not focus on any particular regions or localities. Contents May 2017 Thematic focus: Education...2 Main findings... 2 Legal framework...3 Statistics and numbers...3 Children in immigration detention...5 Early childhood education...7 Primary and secondary education of asylum seekers and refugees....7 Challenges affecting the education system Accessibility of services at school...11 Children with special educational needs...12 Education of children above compulsory school age...13 Education of adults...14 Budget and human resources constraints...15 Further information

2 Thematic focus: Education More than 600,000 children applied for asylum in the EU in 2016, including some 100,000 unaccompanied children. 1 In 2017, children continued to account for a large proportion of arrivals in most Member States, in Germany amounting to around 40 %. 2 Providing appropriate education across Member States has been challenging in many respects. In almost all of the Member States covered by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, for example, the share of low achievers is significantly higher among first-generation immigrant students than among their non-immigrant counterparts. 3 This report aims to provide an overview of the various practices and policies to make education available to asylum-seeking children and child refugees, from early childhood through to adulthood. MAIN FINDINGS Official statistics on the number of asylum seekers and refugees in various types of formal education exist in most Member States. They are not collected systematically, however, and may refer to various groups including asylum-seeking children, refugee children, non-national children and children with a migration background. In nine out of 14 Member States covered by this report, children in immigration detention have no access to any form of education. The main reason stated for this is the short length or the exceptional nature of their detention. The remaining six Member States offer various types of informal education. Only three of them offer it regardless of the short duration of the children s stay. The main challenges concerning access to early childhood education include long waiting periods, language barriers, accessibility in terms of distance, insufficient guidance for families, lack of information provided on such opportunities, low allowances for asylum applicants to cover expenses, and the treatment and integration of traumatised children. In three Member States, asylum seekers and refugees do not have access to formal school education in some parts or regions. Once enrolled in school, asylum-seeking children generally benefit from the same services as national children and in some Member States are also eligible for additional support such as language courses or financial allowances for school supplies or support concerning disabilities. Once enrolled in school, asylum-seeking children generally benefit from the same services as national children. In some Member States they are also eligible for additional support such as language courses, financial allowances for school supplies and support concerning disabilities. In four Member States, traumatised children have access to some form of psychological support, but this support does not specifically target children with a refugee background. Support that takes account of combinations of vulnerabilities in the individual child is rarely available. Locations in only three Member States report that teachers have received support or guidance in dealing with traumatised children, such as special guidelines and training on identification and treatment of children with trauma. Only few Member States specifically address educational needs arising from irregular school attendance before children s arrival in the country. Many Member States report difficulties with regard to education of children who are above the compulsory school age. Such difficulties include a lack of sufficient language skills, forcing children to attend classes for younger age groups, and the absence of programmes providing access to vocational training. A key obstacle to adults access to tertiary education and employment is that it is impossible or complicated to recognise diplomas from learning institutions in the asylum seeker s country of origin. Most Member States increased their budgets and human resources for education in response to the migration crisis in 2015/16. However, support in some Member States depends on projectbased funding. 2

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27 Further information: After one year of regular reporting, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights changed the format and Member State coverage of its regular overviews of migration-related fundamental rights concerns. Current reports cover up to 14 EU Member States and are shorter, including main findings for the Member States covered together with a thematic focus section. References to EU Member States are included when specific findings support a better understanding of the challenges which affect several Member States or the EU as a whole. For the May 2017 Monthly data collection on the migration situation in the EU Highlights, see: For all previous monthly and weekly reports, see: Disclaimer: These reports were commissioned under contract by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The content was prepared by the Agency s contracted research network, FRANET. The reports contain descriptive data that was based mainly on interviews, and do not include analysis or conclusions. They are made publicly available for information and transparency purposes only, and do not constitute legal advice or legal opinion. The reports do not necessarily reflect the views or official position of the FRA. FRA EUROPEAN UNION Agency FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS Schwarzenbergplatz Vienna Austria Tel Fax fra.europa.eu info@fra.europa.eu facebook.com/fundamentalrights linkedin.com/company/eu-fundamental-rights-agency twitter.com/eurightsagency European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2017 Printed by the Publications Office in Luxembourg Print: ISBN , doi: /741246, TKAO17003ENC PDF: ISBN , doi: /803430, TKAO17003ENN